National Library update

Posted on by

National Library Update

6 March 2017               

Kia ora t?tou

As you know, the National Library of New Zealand released its new strategic directions in early December 2016.

You received a link before Christmas to a short animated video and the document itself, Turning Knowledge into Value: Strategic Directions to 2030.

Te Puna Foundation launch, December 2016: Chris Szekely, Gaynor Brymer, Bill Macnaught, Susie Ferguson, Corin Haines, Peter Murray

As we round out the first quarter of 2017 I would like to provide you with a brief update on our plans for the year.

2017 Strategic Work Programme

This month formally marks the end of the development phase of our strategic work programme and the start of the implementation phase. To support this work I have appointed a strategic lead for each of our three strategic themes, to keep us thinking big and on course to meet our aspirations for 2030. As highly experienced staff from within the Department and the National Library, their names will be familiar to many:

The strategic leads joined my leadership team in a full day workshop last week to refine our priorities and strategic work programme for the year ahead. Significant activities already underway include:

  • Re-launch of Services to Schools online offerings from March, including Any Questions delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Education and libraries;

  • Engagement with authors, publishers, libraries and others in a roundtable discussion in Auckland this week to explore the role that libraries can play in supporting the creative sector, including the future role of the public lending right;

  • Opening of the He Tohu exhibition and associated public programmes in May in our Molesworth Street Wellington building in partnership with Archives New Zealand;

  • Discussions with public libraries to agree a collaborative solution to address the limitations of the current model for public internet services provided through the Aotearoa Peoples Network Kaharoa.

Each of these activities highlights to me the importance of partnerships and collaborative approaches as we start the implementation of our strategic directions.

I will have more to share once our strategic leads are fully up to speed and as our work programme progresses.

Collaboration in-house

To encourage innovation and collaboration on a smaller scale in-house we have recently established the National Library’s own Business Innovation Group. This group of staff meets fortnightly to create, consider and assess proposals that will foster professional development, collaboration and innovation in our daily work.

All this in addition to business as usual at the National Library, so we are looking at a very busy 2017! I look forward to working with you.

Ng? mihi

Bill

National Library of New Zealand is a part of
the Department of Internal Affairs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Wolsey Hall Oxford

Posted on by

Dear Barbara,

I really like your website and wondered if you would be interested in hearing about Wolsey Hall Oxford.

Wolsey Hall Oxford, established in 1894, is a not-for-profit distance learning course provider. We supply courses for homeschoolers round the world aged 7-18 including Primary, Secondary, IGCSE and A level courses. We have recently been experiencing an increase in students enrolling from New Zealand.

You can find out more about Wolsey Hall Oxford by visiting our website and Wikipedia page as follows:

www.wolseyhalloxford.org.uk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolsey_Hall,_Oxford

We are particularly proud of the fact Nelson Mandela used Wolsey Hall Oxford to study for his University of London Law degree whilst in Robben Island jail – an inspiration for distance learners everywhere!

If there is any other way you would like us to contribute, please let us know.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Callum Wilcock

Student Engagement Co-ordinator

Tel: 0800 622 6599  | Skype: callumewilcock | Wolsey Hall Oxford Ltd, Midland House, West Way, Oxford, OX2 0PH|

www.wolseyhalloxford.org.uk | Registered in England No. 6781213

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Head Start Programs Are Setting Children Up for Failure

Posted on by

In recent years, support for preschool education has grown by leaps and bounds. After all, who wouldn’t want to help adorable little kids get an early jump on success?

But the enthusiasm for Pre-K dampened a bit with the release of two studies, one from 2012 which studied children in a Head Start program and another from 2016 which studied children in Tennessee’s statewide preschool program. The Head Start study found that its children were more inclined to behavioral problems than those who did not participate. The Tennessee study, on the other hand, found that participants did worse academically several years into school than those who had not participated.

The news that these Pre-K programs may hurt rather than help was not received favorably by preschool advocates. And according to a recent Brookings Institute article by scholars Dale Farran and Mark Lipsey, Pre-K advocates have done their best to discredit these studies.

But as Farran and Lipsey explain, the attempts to dismiss these findings “are based on incorrect and misleading characterizations of each study.”

 For starters, the Head Start study is dismissed on the grounds that some participants ended up in the wrong study group. But according to Farran and Lipsey, such occurrences happen in many scientific studies, and as such, are controlled for in the final statistics. The authors caution that this does not change the fact that children who participated in the Head Start program exhibited more aggressive behavior, the most concerning factor of the study.

Secondly, Farran and Lipsey explain that the Tennessee study is dismissed on the grounds that it is not a “high-quality” program such as those in major cities like Boston and Tulsa. However, when sample sizes are taken from each of these programs, Farran and Lipsey note that there is no major difference between the academic outcomes of each program. In other words, similarity in outcomes demands that those who dismiss the Tennessee preschool program as being low quality will also have to dismiss the programs they hold up as models.

Read more here: http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/are-pre-k-advocates-overlooking-its-problems

 Is it possible that young children would learn more and have greater long-term success if they weren’t subjected to the classroom at such early ages?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Why Dr. Gordon Neufeld Believes Children Learn More At Home

Posted on by

This TED video is a must for every parent to watch  – I highly recommend it

Learning follows attachment

Why Dr. Gordon Neufeld Believes Children Learn More At Home.
In his recent Rethinking Education TED Talk ‘Relationship Matters’, Dr Gordon Neufeld, Developmental and Clinical Psychologist explores the role close and connected relationships play in our children’s ability to learn.


Neufeld explains that children learn more in the first four years of life informally than in all the rest of their formal education put together! This is because children are naturally curious, exploratory and playful when they are learning within nurturing relationships. Neufeld explains how a child’s emotional well being and their cognitive capacities emerge as a result of their close attachments to us.

Read more here: http://rethinkingparenting.co.uk/dr-gordon-neufeld-believes-children-learn-home-school/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Cost of putting a child through school to year 13 has risen to more than $38,000

Posted on by

From Stuff:

For a child born today, the cost of 13 years of “free” schooling has risen to more than $38,000, up 15 per cent on 10 years ago.

Shoes, stationery, uniform, class trips, textbooks, school donations, bus passes, and laptops – they all mount up as parents prepare to send their children back to school.

Research by ASG Education Programmes shows that, for a child born in 2017, 13 years of school will cost parents $38,362.

Sarah Pope with her sons Nico, 9, and Isaac, 6. She has made saving for their future education a financial priority.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/FAIRFAX NZ

Sarah Pope with her sons Nico, 9, and Isaac, 6. She has made saving for their future education a financial priority.

For parents considering private education, that bill is now $345,996, or 48 per cent more than a decade ago, while integrated schools will cost $109,354 over 13 years.

READ MORE:
* Families struggle to afford the rising cost of back-to-school requirements
* Schools bring in $11m more in donations during 2015
* Kids dip out as cost of school trips rises
* School costs pile up for parents
* Parents told: Work out how much kids really cost

ASG said the figures are the “average estimated costs and represnt the highest amount parents and families could expect to pay”.

Secondary Principals’ Association Sandy Pasley says schools do what they can to help parents suffering financial stress at the start of the school year.

Porirua mother of four Dinah Ostler-Malaulau said the family was likely to spend hundreds of dollars to get her year 12 daughter Tisa set up for the year. “It’s expensive, really expensive.”

On top of standard stationery requirements, the 16-year-old Tawa College student needed a graphics calculator, and art supplies. Fees for sport and school trips would add to that. The school also asks for a voluntary donation of about $200.

Ostler-Malaulau recently finished working as a teacher at Porirua College, a decile 1 school, where she saw how stressful the start of the school year could be for families.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says spending on education has increased by 35 per cent since 2008-09.

Read the rest of this news article click here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/88464281/cost-of-putting-a-child-through-school-to-year-13-has-risen-to-more-than-38000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needing help for your home schooling journey:

https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online:https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events:https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading